Duval School Board votes for Nikolai Vitti to be next superintendent

Nikolai Vitti, at 35, will be the youngest super-intendent of Florida’s six largest counties.

The Duval County School Board found what the majority of its members believes to be a “rising star” in Nikolai Vitti.

The board voted 5-2 to offer its superintendent’s job to Vitti after six hours of interviews Tuesday and a process that stretched back to February, when the board said it would part ways with Ed Pratt-Dannals. Pratt-Dannals’ contract ends on Dec. 31.

Vitti accepted the offer to negotiate Tuesday.

“I’m excited,” he said. “We are on the cusp of being a model district for public education, and I believe that I’m the right fit.”

Of the original 19 schools with which Vitti’s office worked with in 2010, 12 were D or F schools. Now, based on the most recent data, only six of the 19 got D’s or F’s and two received A’s. High school grades for the 2011-2012 school year won’t be released until the winter and Vitti says the grades will improve more.

The board will have to vote again to accept the negotiated contract. Vitti said negotiations would likely begin in about a week.

When the deal is done Vitti, at 35, will become the youngest superintendent among Florida’s largest six counties, continuing his fast rise through the education ranks. Just six years ago, Vitti was a superintendent’s intern in Miami Dade Public Schools.

He beat out Kriner Cash, outgoing superintendent of Memphis City Schools, and Dale Robbins, retired associated superintendent of Gwinnett County schools in Georgia.

The board members spent two hours interviewing Cash, Robbins and Vitti before taking public comment and voting.

Experience was the reason board members Betty Burney and Paula Wright said they voted for Cash. Cash was the only finalist who had been a superintendent.

“It frightens me that we may put 125,000 students in the hands of someone who has never been a superintendent,” Wright said. She went on to say “if we have grief about a novice teacher and a novice principal, how do we even consider a superintendent with no experience, with no track record of superintendency.”

Board member W.C. Gentry noted Vitti has four school-age children and thus, “skin in the game,” and that he appears to be on the upswing in his career whereas Cash and Robbins appeared to be toward the end of their careers.

Race has been quietly under the surface of the search in some respects. Cash was the only black finalist. The local NAACP voiced its support for Cash while the Miami and statewide NAACP groups sent letters of support for Vitti, who is white.

The issue bubbled to the surface Tuesday when Wright questioned Vitti over why one of his supporters only called to speak to her and Burney. Why would someone just call the black board members, she asked.

Vitti said he didn’t ask anyone to call any board member on his behalf, but Wright said the caller was acting on a request.

In the end, Burney and Wright both said the board had spoken and they would embrace Vitti.

“Once we make a decision, we come together as one,” said Burney, the board’s chairwoman.

Vitti said he looks forward to building a strong relationship with the entire board. However, the seven-member board will get four new members after the November election before he likely takes the job.

“I’m confident as we begin to do the work together that I will show Mrs. Burney and Ms. Wright that I was the right choice,” Vitti said. “All of the board members are driven by what’s best for students. I think that my work as superintendent will eventually show them that I am the right selection.”

Miami-Dade County is losing a phenomenal leader who has led the efforts in transforming the lowest performing schools. Dr. Vitti is an incredibly intelligent man who only wants what's best for students. Is he tough? Yes. Is he demanding? Yes. Is he determined? Yes. But all of those qualities are necessary when transforming schools who had a history of failure. Duval County is gaining a man who will push its staff and expect only the best. Good luck, Dr. Vitti. We will miss you here in Miami, but we know you will do incredible things in Duval!

The new superintendent deserves everyone's support. But keep an eye on the district's new charter school contracts. That's where the charter schools set the rules for how the tax payer will pay their regular checks. Also keep track of how many professional teachers are replaced with teachers who have low experience and receive low pay and low benefits. Tax payers will be paying the same, it's just in many cases the money saved on teacher pay and online instruction goes to the charter school management companies instead of the teachers and children. Folks get upset at less experienced refs ruining their football games but don't mind less experienced teachers teaching our children.

A good school administrator comes to the job with first hand knowledge of each of the steps along the way, which include being a classroom teacher.

This guy wants to hire more PR people? For what? To sell the school system to potential buyers? Public relations will not raise the standards of a systemically bad school system. Changing the failed approach Duval has employed year after year is what is needed. Small classes in low performing areas, teachers with good qualifications, a good climate where teachers aren't afraid of their principals, and all involved work together for the good of the students are key ingredients. If he can make the schools the place to be for both teachers and students, that in itself would raise school ratings. Does Mr. Vitti have the experience to change the paradigm? I don't think so.